PS News presents reports on recent College activities and a selection of announcements, events and initiatives in the wider education community that may be of interest to our members.
Breaking down barriers
A new bridging program for foreign-trained teachers
When she used to visit schools as a superintendent with the Peel DSB, Elizabeth Sinclair-Artwell came into contact with many frustrated OCT-certified, foreign-educated teachers. They were volunteering in classrooms, unable to land teaching positions. “They had the smarts but not the language and soft skills to get hired,” Sinclair-Artwell says. “No one gave them the know-how to navigate the system.”
As Peel DSB Superintendent of Continuing and Adult Education, Sinclair-Artwell can now help. Last year, she persuaded the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture to fund a pilot bridging program to assist such teachers. The $350,000 three-year program began in February 2010 and is already showing signs of success.
Teachers accepted into the program first receive a language assessment. Every day during the 10-week session, they receive English-language training for pronunciation and vocabulary relevant to Ontario classrooms. They also learn to write a resumé and plan job-search strategies. They undergo mock interview sessions with principals who support the program. “Presentation is a biggie,” says Sinclair-Artwell, an immigrant herself, “especially if it’s not part of a person’s cultural mosaic.”
After the daily 2.5-hour session, the volunteers return to their classrooms, where they apply their new-found knowledge. Sinclair-Artwell describes the program as win-win. “It’s another way of breaking down barriers for newcomers,” she says. “When they return to their classrooms they are more effective volunteers, and as a result their students become better achievers.”
Although it is still early days, several of the program graduates have already landed permanent jobs.
Any certified Ontario teacher who is foreign educated and volunteering in a Greater Toronto Area school can apply to the program. For more information call 905-791-6700, ext 1-6404.
